Is Multicultural Teaching Counter-Productive?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2315483/How-anti-racism-lesson-INCREASE-pupil-intolerance-They-cause-animosity-cultures.html

/// The findings echo the views of Bradford head teacher Ray Honeyford, who was driven from his job nearly 30 years ago over his claim that multicultural teaching was harming pupils. ///

/// Mr Honeyford said that pupil performance was hindered by ‘the notion of the multi-racial curriculum urged by the authorities, and of making colour and race significant, high-profile issues in the classroom’. ///

It has also been said that Political Correctness makes racism worst not better.

http://www.northbynorthwestern.com/story/prejudice/

What are your thoughts on both statements?

[FredPuli43]

Yes, aog, I, for one, am fearful of poor people. They are not at all like me, and alarming. How about you? Where is your inner caveman ?

[Orderlimit]

In my experience, occupational diversity and cultural awareness courses I have been on (lots) do just that AOG, mainly due to the class trainers going way over the top with political correctness, constantly inventing new issues they consider racially offensive and so on

[Zeuhl]

Selective quoting from aog AGAIN
What a little weasel!

his linked article continues:

/Research also suggests, however, that familiarity with “others” over time gives us hope to reduce prejudice. One psychological study showed that whites, when viewing pictures of black strangers, showed activity in the part of the brain that is associated with fear, which they didn’t for white strangers. When showed pictures of familiar black people, however, they did not show fear.//

So 'familiarity' is the answer to your caveman tendencies
Something children in multi ethnic schools should have no issue with ...

[Kromovaracun]

"I definitely believe their are cultural differences which can skew the results of a survey."

Sure, no problem.

But the way you were talking about it earlier was as though the Netherlands was so alien and bizarre a culture as to completely undermine the results for UK purposes. If there's a cultural difference that compromises this research, then the onus is on you to point it out specifically rather than make an assertion so uncharacteristically lazy.

[DaisyNonna]

Rob, not sure of your point. History happened. Who are we to judge who was right or wrong?

[Zeuhl]

Agreed kromo

But it is hardly fanciful to consider the different historical, colonial, immigration geographic and national-identity experiences in holland and uk

[jim360]

I think there are some things in history you can "judge" -- though obviously you have to think too about what they were thinking at the time.

Returning to the OP -- I don't agree that PC makes racism worse not better, but I don't agree that the current approach is the right one either. One can be too afraid of offending people, and that can lead to as many problems as pretending there is nothing to be sensitive about either.

Well, did I even say anything in that paragraph?

[Kromovaracun]

"it is hardly fanciful to consider the different historical, colonial, immigration geographic and national-identity experiences in holland and uk"

Of course not. But if you're going to say that the conclusions don't apply to the UK, then you need to show why. And just broadly declaring the differences doesn't really cut it...

[Zeuhl]

It's worth remembering that 'PC' is inherently bad.

'Correctness' is very different to 'political correctness'

[Zeuhl]

Kromo

Pointing out that validity might be compromised by cultural differences must be better than assuming validity without even thinking about it

[FredPuli43]

Zeuhl, at least the unquoted words were in the text of aog's link itself, for all to see if they bothered to read it. It's not as though we had to do some research to find and read the whole passage. It was more of a Daily Mail technique; give a bold headline and opening sentence and hide or hint at the caveats and words that contradict the lead somewhere near the end of the piece.

[Kromovaracun]

Anyway, I'd said I would say something about the question. So...

Regarding the first point about whether multicultural teaching harms a child's education- no, I don't think it does. But it does depend on how it's done. For example, I think it would be something of a misnomer to call a subject Religious Education when it only teaches about Christianity (this was the case at my school, though as I'm told it's not necessarily the case everywhere). Likewise, I don't see how it makes any sense for history curriculums to focus exclusively on British or European history - it simply isn't sufficient if we want children to be informed enough to interpret or take an interest in the world they'll be reading about in newspapers.

I don't really know what the Mail means by 'anti-racism lessons', but my memory of such topics being covered in my PCHE (or whatever it was called) class is pretty dim. I was certainly an extremely intolerant teenager when it came to other ethnic groups - and so was pretty much everyone I knew at the time, but I'm not sure how deep it was. Either way, I don't remember 'anti-racism lessons' having much impact either way.

As for the second claim...

"It has also been said that Political Correctness makes racism worst not better. "

I don't believe that "Political Correctness" actually exists, so I don't agree with this statement. Every alleged example of it seems to turn it to be embellishment - or sometimes outright fabrication - on the part of the press. If anything, it seems to me that while racism - like homophobia - is far from extinct, it's much less rife than it was during my parents' generation. I can only assume that we're assumed to have gotten more PC over time, so that would imply it certainly doesn't make racism worse. Though as I say, I don't think it exists.

[Kromovaracun]

"Pointing out that validity might be compromised by cultural differences must be better than assuming validity without even thinking about it"

It is, yes.

[Zeuhl]

Kromo

Agree with your post except for the non existence of PC

I have experienced organisations implement policies; not because they believed in (or even understood) them; but because they wanted to be perceived a certain way or conform to what they thought was expected

[Kromovaracun]

"I have experienced organisations implement policies; not because they believed in (or even understood) them; but because they wanted to be perceived a certain way or conform to what they thought was expected."

Interesting. Perhaps I'm wrong, then.

[jim360]

No, I think the cult of PC and "'elf 'n' safety" does exist. Often, yes, not because of any real danger, or because of any actual offences being caused, but because some people fear the consequences too much. Most of the time there's nothing even to fear, either. I mean, we don't want to cause offence if we can help it. But most (not all) people don't get offended all that easily.